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For decades the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico and the Canadian province of Quebec have been riveted by the politics of nationalism, the question of their final status, and the protection of their local languages. In the name of cultural defense, the legislatures in San Juan and Quebec City have passed several laws focusing on protecting the vernacular. Barreto explores these two cases and challenges some general preconceived notions about nationalist movements.

A common premise in ethnic conflict studies is that nationalism is caused by cultural traits, such as language or religion, or is a result of a region's subservient economic role vis-à-vis the country's core. However, Barreto contends that Puerto Rican and Québécois elites turned to nationalism in reaction to their social marginalization and economic suppression. Anglophone elites in the U.S. and Canada established a hegemonic order making English a requirement for social and economic ascendancy. Shunned by the country's dominant group on account of their language, elites in Puerto Rico and Quebec took up the banner of nationalism attempting to establish a counter-hegemonic order. Thus, nationalism, Barreto contends, is an unanticipated reaction to the exclusionary attitudes and policies of one group against another. This analysis is important to political scientists, social scientists, and researchers involved with nationalism, ethnic conflict, and Puerto Rican and Canadian studies.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Acknowledgments(p. ix)
• 1 Introduction(p. 1)
• 2 Conflicting Approaches to the Study of Nationalism(p. 13)
• 3 Language and Elites(p. 31)
• 4 Language and American Identity(p. 47)
• 5 Canada and the King's English(p. 63)
• 6 The Evolution of Puerto Rican Identity and Nationalism(p. 77)
• 7 Quebec's Distinct Society and Nationalism(p. 97)
• 8 Defending Spanish in Puerto Rico's Territorial Government(p. 115)
• 9 The Quebec National Assembly and the Promotion of French(p. 129)
• 10 Conclusion(p. 141)
• Bibliography(p. 149)
• Index(p. 159)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

According to Barreto, language has played a central role in the articulation of nationalist demands in the US Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Canadian province of Quebec. In a succinct and readable book, Barreto documents parallel processes that led to their respective nationalisms and compares both their resistance to English language hegemony and legal and social challenges to the status quo. The author contends that in both places dominant elites have used English as a cultural marker in distinguishing the "in" and "out" groups within the social hierarchy. At the apogee of this hierarchy, English speakers control top positions and acquire higher social status, as English has been the dominant medium of government affairs, commerce, and social interactions at the highest level. Despite official bilingualism in Puerto Rico and Quebec and laws protecting the use of Spanish and French respectively, the linguistic hierarchy elevates English over other languages. The book ends with a suggestion that the hegemonic order based on the dominant place of English could be challenged in the future as nationalism intensifies simultaneously with movements for statehood (Puerto Rico) and sovereignty (Quebec). Recommended for public and academic libraries. C. J. Edie; University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Amilcar A. Barreto is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University.